Locomotive headlight



NOV. 4, 1930. w CQBQBQS 1,780,865

LOCOMOTIVE HEADLIGHT Filed Dec. 22, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Nov. 4, 1930 1 UNITED STA ES:

WILLIAM N; QOBBS, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA LOCOMOTIVE HEADLIGHT Application filed December 22, 1928. Serial No. 32 7,831.

This invention relates to animp'rovement in locomotive headlights.

One of the objects of theinvention is to cause a movement of the headlight of the locomotive corresponding with a change in the direction of the locomotive, so as to illuminate the track around a curve. light ordinarily is directed straight ahead but when the locomotive arrives at a curve 19 it has heretofore been diflicult or impossible to illuminate the track around the curve, and

it is the purpose of this invention to cause a bodilyturning movement of the headlight by the change in the direction of the wind for illuminating the track around the curve.

The headlight is pivotally mounted and connected with suitable vane mechanism, so that when the supporting wheels or trucks of the locomotive turn relative to the locomo- 29 tive, as in rounding a curve, the change in the direction of the wind will automatically cause a change in the position of the headlight relative to the locomotive, thereby automatically causing an illumination of the track ahead of the locomotive.

Another object of the invention is to automatically cause the actuation of an audible signal, such as a horn carried on the locomotive, whenever the headlight is turned automatically when the locomotive is passing around a curve in the track for the Warning of any persons that may be approaching or upon the track at a point around the curve from where the locomotive is not visible.

This is accomplished by the automatic closing of an electric switch through the audible signal by the turning movement ofthe headlight.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of theinvention' Fig.2 is a sectional view therethrough and Fig. '3 is a diagrammatic view of the electric wiring of the headlight and signal.

The numeral 1 indicates a shelf carried by or a part :of a locomotive upon which the headlight is intended to be secured and mounted, and for this purpose brackets 2 are carried. by this shelf 1 andv extend up- 0 warelly therefrom, having at their upper The head ends a sleeve 3 secured thereto and supported by these brackets. c

The opposite ends of thissleeve 3 are closed by caps 4, which are .removably secured to the sleeve. Fixedin the intermediate portion of the sleeve 3 are bearing races 5. Companion bearing races 6 are aligned therewith and have ball bearings 7 interposed between these bearing races 5 and 6. Mounted in the bearing races 6 are tubes 8 1n alignment with each other and having their inner ends-secured together by a bushing 9,-

which is interposed between the bearing races 6 and is seated and rides upon the lower-' most one of these bearing races' The opposlte ends of the tubes 8 project through openings 10 in the caps 4 and'are freely-ro- I tatable in these openings. v v

A headlight casing'is designated by the numeral 11 and may be of the usual desired construction and character and is provided with the lens 12 and reflector 13. Disposed; upon opposite sides of'the casing 11 and immediately in front ofthe reflector 13 are tubes 14 and 15 which are approximately of the same size and js'ha'pe' and both of said tubes are welded or otherwise securely fastened in the opposite sides of the casing '11 and in alignn'ient with each other.

The tube 15 is secured'by'meansof a'bushing 16 to the uppermost supporting tube 8, and since these tubes 14 and'15'are alike and in alignment, either of said tubes maybe secured to the said supportingtube 8 by merely reversing the casing 11. The other tube, shown at 14, has a cap 17 mounted thereon to close the outer end thereof.

The casing 11 has a reduced backwardly extending portion 18, terminating in and having secured thereto coupling members 19 and 20. Fixed to the coupling member 20 is a journal rod 21 on which a sleeve 22is j our-' naled and freely rot-atably mounted. The sleeve 22 carries radiatingvanes 23 extending outwardly in opposite directions therefrom, and these vanes have the backwardends thereof closed by a plate '24. r

A tube 32 has its lower end carried by a plate 33 removably secured to the underside of the shelf 1 and extends through an open I ing 34: in said shelf and through the tubes ing, into the casing 11 immediately in front 8 and to the inner end of vthe latteropenof the reflector 13. The inner end of the tube 32 carries a lamp 35 of a'diameter at least as small or smaller than the tubes 8 and 15 or 14 so as to through said tubes. I I

Electric wires 36lead t0 the lamp 35 from thebattery 30 for supplying current thereto,

and aswit'ch' 37 may be arrangedin thiscirbe freely slidable v cuit for breaking the circuit to turnoff the light during the daytime. I

A disk is fixed to the sleeve 15, and depending from said'disk 25 isa flexible contact brush 26.; Supportedbybrackets 27 are segmental contact rings 28 disposed in'position to be engaged by thecontact brush 26' upon a turningmovement of'the disk 25,

light casing 11. The segmental rings 28-are II x a battery or other source of'electric current,v

of which battery is connected with a horn 31 or other audible signal. This horn. is

grounded to the shelf-1 to whichthe disk a '25 is also groundedthrough the supporting I mechanism-for the 'light'casing, or the disk "maybe suitably connected directly with the horn, as 'found I desirable. T

In the operation-of the invention, the

headlight is mounted on'a suitable portion ofthe locomotive designated as the shelf 1,

I -which is usually carried immediately in ront of the boiler of thelocomotive and nearthe top. The headlight casing ,11 is rotatably or pivotallymounted onthe ball bearings 7. through the supporting tubes 3 and 15 and as thelocomotive isrunning,

the velocity of the wind will act on the vanes 23 to maintain the headlight pointed in the directed inwhich the locomotive is running, -When the trucks orjsupporting wheelsof the locomotive begin-toturn, this :does not necessarily cause, an immediatefturning .moveme'nt. of-the. locomotive itself, asthe supporting wheels usually turn relative to the locomotive, so that the headlight irifixea would not be pointing in the direction in which the locomotive is moving around the curve. The pivotal mounting of theh ead- "light casing- 11 and the provision of'the vanes 23 causean automaticadjustment of the headlight casing I in the direction in which thelocomotive is actually running by reason of the velocity ofthe wind acting on the vanes 23, so as to keep-the headlight always in the direction in which the 1 I motive-is running and directed to the track I I I thavlng, tubular members projecting thereinto ahead. Any-change in the direction of the wind by reason ofa change in the direction 0f the locomotive will cause an immediate and automaticcorrespondingadjustment of I I I 1 Pp0rtingmeans 011pivotallysupporte the position I of the headlight,

, As the disk 25 iscarried by the support- 7 ing means for the headlight casing 11, this disk will be given a corresponding turn whenever the casing is turned. The flexible I brush 25 is normally disposed between the ends of the segmental contact rings '28 but upon a substantial turning movement with the headlight casing and disk25 therewith,

the brush 26 will bemoved into contacting I 7 -75. 28, wh1ch-therefore causes a closing of the i engagement with one of the'segmental rings electric circuit from the battery 30, through the corresponding ring 28,-.the brush 26, disk 25, tubes 15.and j 8, the sleeve 3 and brackets 2 to the supporting-plate 1, to which the horn 31 is also grounded, thence from the horn back to the opposite side of the battery 30. This causes an actuation of i the horn or'similar audible signal automati-I cally upon the turning of;thelieadlight, as

inlrounding a turn in the track for giving I an audible signaland warning to any per- I sons that may be on or approaching the track. I v 4 w The lamp 35 is sufiiciently small to easily slide through th'etubes S and 15 or14 so that in removing and replacing the lamp it is only necessary to disconnect the member 33; vfrom the shelf '1 and either slide the tube 33' downward with I the lamp 35, which is Can ried thereby, through the opening v34; in the shelf 1, or,,if desired, the tube may be discons nected from the plate 33 and moved upward- I 1y through the tube 14, as found most desirable. Thisallows for easily-removing the I lamp from the casing without disturbing the casing in the event that it becomes Y to' replacea burnt-outlamp, I I I The rotary support for the vanes 23- allows jthem. to turn to prevent theaccumulation snow or ice thereonj I 'Although the invention is described'in'connection with a locomotive headlight,jit is obvious that it may be applied toother types,

as desired: I TI claimf '1' a V1. The combination of a-headlightc for-a vehicle, tubular'supp'orting meansjfor said headlight Ifor pivotal movement, bearings upon which saidtubular supporting-means is mounted, means through the tubular supporting means and necessary I removably I projecting carrying a lamp positioned in the headlight, 7

said lamp being smaller in diameter than I the tubularsupporting means, and a weather vane connected with the headlight for automatically causinga turning movement there I moveon opposite sides thereotand aligned with eachjother, a tube aligned. with and secured to at least one of saidvtubular members, bearon opposite sides thereof ing said tube and headlight casing, a tube removably extending into the first-mentioned tube and at least one of the tubular mem- 1 bers and carrying a lamp of a size not greater than the internal diameter of the firstmentioned tube and tubular member, said lamp extending into the headlight casing and removable therefrom through either of said tubes and means for causing a relative turning movement of the headlight casing about the second-mentioned tube and lamp.

3. The combination with a supporting shelf having an opening therethrough, bearing supporting means mounted upon the shelf, a tube carried by said bearing supporting means and projecting upwardly therefrom, a lamp casing supported by said tube, a tubular member projecting through the opening in the shelf and the tube, and removable therefrom, and a lamp of a diameter less than the diameter of the tube and opening and carried by'the tubular member and projecting into the light casing.

4. The combination of a light casing, means for pivotally supporting said light casing for turning movement about an approximate- 1y vertical axis, a journal member projecting from a side of said light casing, and vanes rotatably mounted on said journal member for automatically causing a pivotal action of the light casing, thereby changing the direction of light beams.

5. The combination of a headlight casing, means for pivotally supporting said casing for turning movement about an approximate 1y vertical axis, a journal member projecting from the rear side of said casing, a sleeve ro tatably mounted on said journal member, and vanes carried by said sleeve for turning movement-about the journal member to prevent the accumulation of foreign matter on said vanes.

6. The combination of a headlight casingv having tubular members connected therewith and aligned with each other, a tube removably projecting into at least one of said tubular members, and carrying a lamp positioned within the headlight, said lamp being smaller 111 diameter than the tubular members and removable therethrough.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM N. COBBS. 

